Family Witjes.
The PC web version contains extensive information about places and butterflies
The Little Cabbage White.
Small cabbage white is found everywhere, in moist areas such as swamps, in hay meadows, forest edges, grasslands, gardens and heaths. The butterflies fly in three generations from the beginning of April to the end of September. in some cool and wet years, the species only flies in two generations.
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Males of the first generation often lack the black dots on the top of the forewings. The males and females of the second generation are often slightly larger and more strikingly marked.
The Small Veined White
The butterfly is often seen in gardens and parks, but appears to have a stronger preference for moist areas such as swamps than the other whites. In flight it is difficult to distinguish the butterfly from the small cabbage white. In warm years, the butterflies fly in three generations from the beginning of April to the end of September. The second and third generations overlap.
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The generations of spring and summer vary, but the thickened triangles at the ends of the veins can always be seen on the top of the forewings.
The Lemon Butterfly.
This common butterfly is found throughout the Netherlands in sunny places in open woodland and along woodland edges. The overwintering butterflies are long-lived and emerge on warm days in February and March. Mating takes place in the spring after which some butterflies live until July. In less favorable weather during wintering, a remarkable transformation takes place when the wings seem to disappear while the perfectly camouflaged butterfly hangs between the leaves.
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Despite the clear difference between males and females, there is little variation between individuals.
The Orange Tip
Seeing the first male of the orange tip is a great moment for butterfly lovers every year. This charming spring butterfly is found in sheltered places in moist hay meadows and sunny bushes in forest edges where the host plant grows. The female is less conspicuous than the male. It lacks the characteristic orange wing tips. However, the female does share the yellow-green marbled underside of the rear wing. The flying time is Mid-April to the end of May in one generation. The female spends a lot of time drinking nectar; the male is often observed patrolling.
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The male cannot be confused with any other butterfly. The female resembles other whites, and is best distinguished by the underside of the hind wings.
Male
Female
The Yellow Lucerne Butterfly
The Yellow Lucerne Butterfly is a rare migratory butterfly that is observed in varying numbers per year in the Netherlands. They fly north every spring from southern and central Europe. The first butterflies arrive in our country in May and June. the next generation flies from the beginning of July to the end of October, supplemented by new immigrants. They are seen in all kinds of open areas such as flowery grasslands, roadsides, dikes, wasteland and clover fields.
The Forest White
The fragile forest white is the smallest butterfly of all whites. An extremely rare resident butterfly that mainly occurs in a few quarries in South Limburg, although it is also sometimes seen outside. The habitat can also consist of warm, open places in forests, wider forest paths and sunny forest edges. The butterflies fly in two generations from late April to early June and late June to mid August.
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males have darker spots on the wings than females. The forewings of the females are wider.
The Orange Lucerne Butterfly
A well-known, but unpredictable migratory butterfly in the Netherlands. The orange alfalfa butterfly arrives in great numbers in some years as they migrate north. However, in most years only a few butterflies arrive from the south and are then seen in summer in open, herbaceous areas, such as flowery grasslands.
The first butterflies arrive in May and June from North Africa and Southern Europe. The following generations will fly from the beginning of August to the end of October.
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The top of the wings is orange-yellow. The male has a solid, clear black edge on the wings. In the female it is less firm and is even missing from the rear wing.
